Love Story/Recap
__toc__Carter and Crash drive in his truck; Carter screams out the window until he tells her to sit down and put on her seat belt. Crash asks her where they should go, and Carter says she just wants to go somewhere where no one knows her or has any reason to lie to her, so he suggests California, "the land of the fresh start". He says he's always wanted to be a farmer, and she thinks he means a country farmer—but he is talking about marijuana. They go on to talk about potentially seeing the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore, as well as where Crash grew up, which warms Carter's heart. Elizabeth can't get a hold of Carter, whose phone is off and voicemail is full, and the tracker put onto Carter's phone said she was in North Carolina, though now it says they're doubling back. David says that maybe Carter's headed home, but Elizabeth isn't getting her hopes up. David tries to comfort her. Carter talks to Grant and Taylor on the phone while Crash works on the car. Grant asks when she's coming home, and Taylor explains to Carter that Bird and her mother came over and dropped all charges against Carter, so she's not in any trouble. Elizabeth barges in and tells Carter to forget about Crash, because he'll just make things harder for her. Taylor apologizes, then lies and says Elizabeth left. Carter tells Grant they're going to Disneyland. Elizabeth rushes downstairs after Carter hangs up; Carter and Crash get back out on the road. Elizabeth holds her phone up to a family photo of the twins' birthday and takes a picture. Carter and Crash play a questions game whilst on the road when Carter's phone rings with an Amber Alert. She has Crash pull over. Carter is labeled as the victim, and Crash is labeled as the kidnapper. Taylor, Grant and David walk into the kitchen where Elizabeth is standing to confront her. Crash tries to change the license plate on his truck, but he can't get it perfect, whilst Carter just wants to go. Crash mentions a bus terminal and tells Carter she's going home, because it's not a game anymore, but she doesn't want to go home. They get into an argument. When Carter's phone buzzes, Crash says they need to get rid of it; Carter stomps and smashes her phone into the ground, then Crash does the same with his. Max and Taylor chat in his apartment, with Taylor playing with his hair. She thanks him for making her laugh, and then he gives her a key. He tells her she can come whenever she wants, and he'll cook her food—ramen. Taylor wishes she could call Carter to tell her about it, and Max says Carter will be back. Carter and Crash break into Apartment 192, her and Lori's old apartment. Carter got inside via the back window, because its locks were never fixed. Carter looks around and gives Crash a tour of what the apartment used to look like, naming out what furniture was where in the apartment. She shows him her height chart and measures his height when she learns he never had a height chart; when Carter shows him the last time Lori measured her, she finds a string of numbers—208864567—and writes it down. The next morning, Carter and Crash are awaken by a man knocking on the door; when he says he's calling the landlord and the cops, they hurry to grab their stuff and rush to Crash's truck. Crash wishes everyone in the world wasn't looking for them, and Carter realizes Lori would have seen the Amber Alert, because everyone is looking for them, and she would have known Crash wouldn't have kidnapped her. She wants to go back and leave a message for Lori with Max, but Crash isn't fond of the idea. After some begging, Crash relents and says California is next. Crash and Carter arrive at a convenience store. Carter only has $2; Crash used his money pay Carter's bail—as well as to buy a gun, much to Carter's dismay. He tells her she should learn how to use it, and she checks it to make sure the safety is on, which she realizes she learned from Elizabeth. She exits the truck. Elizabeth talks on the phone to check in on the case of finding Carter; Taylor sits atop the stairs and listens. Grant joins her. Taylor tells Grant Elizabeth's back to her old ways, and Grant tells Taylor he likes it when she's here. Elizabeth watches her laptop for Carter's phone, but it's nowhere to be seen. On the way to Quik N Easy, Carter is silent; she can't believe Crash bought a gun, and he says he'll help her forget. They play an ABC game, consisting of finishing the "If I were to go on this trip, I would bring…" phrase with things they would bring for each letter of the alphabet—in alphabetical order. They arrive at Quik N Easy, and Carter promises it won't take long. A happy Max says he knew she'd come back and hugs her; Crash watches from afar. Carter tells Max she isn't back—she just wanted to see him—and Max notes aloud that she's still with Crash. Max starts calling Taylor, but Carter threatens him to hang up or else she'll leave and he'll never see her again; he hangs up. She has him turn it off, because she knows Taylor will call back and that Max can't keep a secret. Carter follows Max to the door, and they pause; an antsy Crash continues watching from his truck. Max tells her she has people here that really love her, but she asks him for a favor. He walks behind the counter, and she passes him an envelope to give to Lori if/when he sees her, then says she need two burner phones. Max offers to tell Crash that Carter wants to stay for her, but Carter says she can't stay. A relectuant Max relents and grabs two burner phones for her. In his truck, Crash begins to tell Max to mind his own business; he hits the steering wheel. Crash exits the truck. Carter asks Max why he doesn't like Crash and what Crash has ever done to hurt him, and Max says he's taking her away. Crash enters the store, and Carter pulls back from the counter; they all greet each other. Crash confronts Max, ignoring Carter's attempts at leaving the store so Max can do his job. Crash tells Max to give them everything in the register and report it as a robbery, but Max refuses. Crash tells him to tell the cops he had a gun in his face. Max tells him to leave, but Crash says he just needs the money, then pulls out his gun. An upset Carter confronts Crash, who says the safety's on. However, when Crash shoots the gun to prove it, his claim is contradicted, as Max is thrown against the back wall and onto the floor. In tears, Carter screams at Crash and runs over to help Max. Crash panics, though, and soon leaves, leaving a begging-for-help Carter alone. Carter calls 911 on one of the burner phones, and the operator walks her through what to do until the ambulance arrives. Carter, Taylor, David, Elizabeth and Grant wait in the waiting room. Grant taps Carter's knee for comfort. The doctor comes out and tells them that Max is stable, and he's spoken with Max's parents, who have given consent for the surgery. David comforts Taylor, whilst Elizabeth comforts Carter. Elizabeth gives Carter her jacket. Police arrive to speak to Carter, who asks Elizabeth to stay with her. They pull her aside and start questioning her, but Carter zones out, then starts crying. Elizabeth tells them they're not doing this now. Elizabeth pulls Carter close and comforts her; however, Taylor stands and yells at Carter that Elizabeth isn't her mother and that she will never forgive her. Carter leaves to go elsewhere, crying in a hallway, and later cries in a chapel. Taylor sits in a hallway on a chair, and Carter joins her. Taylor measures how close the bullet came to hitting Max's heart and how close she is to losing him with a piece of her hair. David finds them and tells them the doctor has asked to see them.